depend for their livelihood and even existence on six distinct categories of people

 

षडिमे षड्सु जीवन्ति सप्तमो नोपलभ्यते।

चौराः प्रमत्ते जीवन्ति व्याधितेषु चिकित्सकाः।

प्रमदाः कामयानेषु यजमानेषु याजकाः।

राजा विवदमानेषु नित्यं मूर्खेषु पण्डिताः॥

इन्दिश्चे स्प्रूचे ३०६७ ३०६८ महाभारते

ṣaḍime ṣaḍsu jīvanti saptamo nopalabhyate|

caurāḥ pramatte jīvanti vyādhiteṣu cikitsakāḥ|

pramadāḥ kāmayāneṣu yajamāneṣu yājakāḥ|

rājā vivadamāneṣu nityaṁ mūrkheṣu paṇḍitāḥ||

indiśce sprūce 3067 3068 mahābhārate

There are six categories of people who thrive on, who exist making use of, who depend for their livelihood and even existence on six distinct categories of people

First, the thieves, pilferers, frauds and exploiters thrive on the gullibility and carelessness of their victims.

Second, the doctors are in place, treating, consulting, and prescribing medicines only because there are people who are sick in some manner or other.

Third, Attractive damsels celebrate their lives in pomp and celbrations because they have devoted suitors who pursue them with romantic intent,ready to satisfy any and all of their whims and fancies.

Fourth, The priests and people who are directly involved in organizing and deputizing for rituals, their satellites and event managers perhaps, survive only because there are people who would conduct the rituals in their capacity as the sponsors, suppliers or funds and other materials to the priests and their people by way of presents and offerings in cash and kind.

Fifth, The king or ruler can survive and thrive only if he has judges and law enforcers, policy makers and executors in his employment. If there is no proper administration, arbitration and enforcement, there can be no stability. And the people who want the intervention of law for their protection, keep the government in place, pay the taxes and the king and his retinue lives happily on that revenue alone.

And sixth and final, the learned persons, comparatively few in number compared to the proliferation of ignorant people and idiots thrive on the latter because the men with education get employment, occupation and social standing and also many a times chance to exploit the illiterate and credulous nature of the ordinary man.

Yes, the mutually complementing six categories of gents cover almost the entire population. It is indeed a daunting task to identify such a perfectly matching seventh set, says the narrator of the slokam

A quote from Mahabharatham.

k v a

इमे these षड् six types of people षड्सु depending on, based on the strength or weakness of the following six types/categories of people जीवन्ते subsist, survive, eke out livelihood सप्तमः seventh category न उपलभ्यते not able to locate readily

चौराः thieved, frauds, robbers प्रमत्ते careless, excessively pompous जीवन्ति live on, living using them चिकित्सका the doctors व्याधितेषु people afflicted by diseases जीवन्ति survive on कामयानेषु suitors, those who run after with romance प्रमदाः attractive girls जीवन्ति thrive याजकाः the priests, those who conduct religious ceremony यजमानेषु people who arrange, fund and preside over yajnas and rituals जीवन्ति survive on विवादमाणेषु arbitrators, expostulators and interpreters of law and enforcers of the royal dicta राजा the rule जीवति rely for survival पण्डिताः learned men, those who have knowledge मूर्खेषु on ignorant people, जीवन्ति survive.